NEWSBRIEFS –GIS

China to investigate Google for illegal maps

China has launched an investigation into online mapping services by Google and Sohu in an effort to protect state secrets and territorial integrity. According to vice head, State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, authorities hope to get rid of online maps that wrongly depict China’s borders or that reveal military secrets. The government began the investigation into the problematic maps in April and will continue it until the end of the year. Min cited five areas of concern – Taiwan, the Spratlys and Paracels island chains in the South China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. http://afp.google.com/

GIS in Vietnam – Improving resettled lives

The multibillion-dollar, governmentfinanced hydropower project will help Vietnam meet its increasing demand for energy once the project is completed in 2015, but it will displace more than 20,000 families—mainly ethnic minority people from Son La, Dien Bien, and Lai Chau provinces. While the Government has approved 687 million USD for a resettlement plan, its planning and implementation suffers from many problems.

A due diligence report conducted by the Asian Development Bank on the project’s resettlement revealed a need for capacity building support in planning and implementing of such a large and complex resettlement plan, particularly in the area of livelihood restoration. In November 2005, ADB approved a 1 million USD technical assistance project, financed by the Poverty Reduction Cooperation Fund, to increase the capacity of both resettlement authorities and grassroots stakeholders to develop appropriate livelihood programs for the resettled people. In 2 years, the TA trained government staff on how to select appropriate relocation sites using GIS, how to assess soil types and availability of natural resources, and how to plan and implement suitable and sustainable livelihood activities. http://english.vietnamnet.vn

ERDAS announces update for ArcGIS® desktop products

ERDAS announced the release of ArcGIS® 8.x and 9.x ECW JPEG 2000 Plug-in 4.1. It provides seamless interoperability with ArcGIS desktop products and the ECWP highperformance streaming imagery protocol.

The ECWP protocol allows users to access massive amounts of image data easily over the internet or intranet.

Intergraph® GeoMedia® to support Microsoft SQL Server 2008

The Intergraph® GeoMedia® will support Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 spatial enhancements to provide Intergraph customers with an improved capacity for interoperability and information sharing.

The Intergraph® Foundation will provide a $25,000 donation and match additional employee contributions to the American Red Cross China Earthquake Relief Fund to aid survivors and relief efforts of the devastating May 12 earthquake.